1. Answer: First attested in Assyrian Monoliths (9th/8th Century BC). Referred to Lands North of Nefud + Syrian Desert + Sinai. Source: Maurizio Tosi, University of Naples
2. The Earliest reference to an Arab Homeland is Found in Ancient Assyrian Records. In Monoliths of Shalmaneser III & Tiglath Piliser III (9th & 8th Cent. BC), the Qedarite Territory is referred to as ‘Mat Aribi’ (Land of the Arabs). The Syrian Desert, Sinai & Lands North of Nefud.

It seems ‘Mat Aribi’ correlates with Achaeminid Arabia which later correlates with Roman & Byzantine Arabia. They refer to about the same Region. The Original Definition of ‘Arabia’ dates back to the 9th Century BC and it remained consistent for over a thousand years.